The free, public opening for the show is 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, 2014.

At the reception, jurors Sally Yard (Professor of Art History, University of San Diego) and Derrick Cartwright (Director of University Galleries and Professor of Art History, University of San Diego) will award the first, second and third place honors.

The jurors selected the show’s 43 participants from some 1,100 images submitted by 220 artists.

“The challenge of picking the works for the Athenaeum’s juried exhibition was especially great this year,” said Cartwright. “Sally and I opted to select images that struck us as coherent approaches to contemporary problems in representation through a wide variety of media. Technical accomplishment was important, but so was a willingness to take risks and find new excitement in common things.

“I was especially drawn to works that demonstrated an appreciation of art history without resorting to imitation.

“In the end, I hope the works on display both carry a conviction about the importance of contemporary practices in our common culture and offer the Athenaeum’s public a broad array of challenging choices.”

The show — open only to artists who live, work or have exhibited in San Diego — provides a platform for them to receive exposure and draw inspiration from peers. Acceptable submissions included 2-D and 3-D media, with the exception of functional or craft art. All submissions were completed within the past five years.